Pollution: The Hidden Side of Tulum (page 4 of 5)

I completely agree with you. In fact, in the previous post, I was talking about hordes of tourists: they're the same ones who "do" Tulum and Chichen Itza (though I still prefer Chichen Itza by a long shot).

And yes, Mexico is really worth discovering off the beaten path—or rather, off the beaten beaches—even if sometimes the journey is tough. I remember the road to San Cristobal de las Casas—🏴‍☠️ I thought we'd never make it: the huge potholes, the turns, the length of the trip, but what a reward! We weren't done "suffering," though, because on the way back from San Cristobal, we got taxed by some very grumpy Zapatistas, and that happened three times in quick succession. Well, we did what everyone else did: we paid, just happy to be able to get out of there 😛

We weren't done "suffering" either because on our way back from San Cristobal, we were taxed by some very bad-tempered Zapatistas, and it happened three times in quick succession. Well, we did what everyone else did: we paid, just happy to be able to get out of there

Hi Evelyne,

They’re not necessarily Zapatistas, but rather locals protesting against certain foreign mining companies (notably the Canadian company CAMBIOR).

I got stopped too; they gave me a leaflet in Spanish explaining their demands. They need money to raise awareness through the media about their cause.... I must still have that leaflet somewhere where they explain........"we don’t want to go back 500 years".... These people aren’t dangerous. They’re using the (only) means they have.... You’ve probably noticed that kind of spiked rake placed in front of the car.....? The EZLN is still around but inactive.... They’ve opened a small museum in their honor in TONINÁ (dear to our friend Jean Luc 38!).... Palenque and Agua Azul are worth a few little scares....😛

Memphre: Tulum, no historical interest... No comment. Only three shades of blue? Get your eyes checked. You hate hotels as much as I hate camper vans that I'd love to destroy with cannon fire, just like you'd love to see that hotel zone in Cancún disappear. Do I flaunt that in every post of mine? I can't stand reading your harsh, biased, and negative opinions about certain destinations, and then reading other rave reviews—just as subjective—about what you liked. Are you the only one in the world who gets to decide what others should like or not, or am I dreaming? Come back down to earth, venerable hombre!

Crowds There are tourists who visit sites. Yes, really. It’s crazy, right? And just because they’re visited—sometimes a lot—should we ban these sites from our travel lists just because others don’t like them *because* they’re so popular? Should we tell people not to go to the Louvre because you have to queue for hours? That seeing the Mona Lisa is nearly impossible? Should we tell people they’re stupid for going to Giza because hundreds of thousands of others do too?

Am I going to skip visiting Chichén Itzá just because it’s crowded?

I went to Cobá and wasn’t exactly enchanted, but I don’t spend my time saying people shouldn’t go, that it’s terrible, etc. Share your feelings, give your reasons, but don’t assume you have the right to tell others what they should or shouldn’t do.

Why travel thousands of kilometers by plane if not to see what’s been fueling our dreams for years?

Anyway, just stay home, right? :) Canada’s supposed to be nice. And there, you can complain all you want—the sound will be muffled by the snow.

Next cannonball—or is it opus? I’m not sure. Come on, I still have faith—you’ve got time to learn tolerance. 😏

Hello Namorada, I understand, but we can’t completely ignore the "others" who unfortunately visit either. I visited Tulum in February 2016, and I don’t remember seeing what you described—tourists climbing monuments where access is prohibited. That’s not to say I doubt what you’re saying, just clarifying.

I’m going back in April with two couples of friends for whom this will be their first Mayan site. As I mentioned before, I loved Tulum for its location, its simplicity, and the stunning views it offers over the Caribbean. It was breathtaking, and I respected all the rules while tuning out the distractions around me—focusing through my camera lens made it easier. That’s probably why I don’t remember those crowds climbing the monuments 🙂🙂

After Tulum, I discovered Cobá, which left me a bit underwhelmed. Granted, I had a knee injury and couldn’t climb to the top of the pyramid either :) . Access is still allowed for now. I made up for it later at Uxmal on the Templo Mayor in 2017—also open to visitors. Cobá was the first site we visited right after arriving, still in a European mindset, so maybe I didn’t appreciate it as much as I should have. That’s why I might go back later to confirm or reconsider my first impression.

Next, we’ll head to Ek Balam and then Chichén Itzá (which I already visited in 2016 after Cobá and Tulum), because it’s a major site, well-known in our collective imagination from books and such. My friends wouldn’t understand if we skipped it just because of crowds. The upside is that the site is huge and spread out, so it can handle a lot of people without it feeling overwhelming. Plus, we’re planning to arrive early.

Anyway, thanks for clarifying your feelings about Tulum—I didn’t quite get it before. And I’m relieved to hear it’s not the site itself but rather the behavior of some visitors on the day you were there :)

Best, JP

These people aren't dangerous. They're using the only means they have.... You probably noticed that kind of spiked rake placed in front of the car.....? The EZLN is still alive but inactive.... they opened a small museum in their honor in TONINA (dear to our friend Jean Luc 38!).... Palenque and Agua Azul are definitely worth a few scares....😛

Well, I wasn’t so sure they weren’t dangerous by the second "checkpoint"—not only didn’t we get the famous piece of paper, but they were drunk, rifles slung over their shoulders, and not exactly in the mood for a chat 🤪. By the third and final stop, we didn’t have enough money to give them what they were asking for (avoid^^) and we really thought we’d be stuck there for a few hours. And you’re probably right—it’s possible they weren’t Zapatistas after all. In the end, we’ll never know.

I saw that big spiked rake up close—no way anyone’s driving over that ^^

But you’re right, Palenque, Agua Azul, San Cristóbal—and even San Juan de Chamula with its strange and captivating "church." A tourist from the U.S. even had her camera smashed by a local indigenous man there.

Hi JP, No, of course we can't distance ourselves from others—we're part of them too ^^ But I always try to schedule my trips during less touristy periods to avoid being completely swamped by those crowds I don’t really enjoy. In February, you definitely picked an even better time than I did, and that’s great. This place deserves to be seen in peace because its seaside location is truly exceptional, and the color contrasts are stunning. Since you’re going back in April, that’s roughly the same time (April-May) I was there. Let me know if you encountered more tourists or not—I hope not for your sake!

As for Chichen Itza, you’re right—the site is huge, so you barely notice if it’s crowded. When I went, we arrived early in the morning, and there weren’t many people around at that time. It was only toward the end of the visit that we saw a few buses, and we hardly crossed paths with anyone on the site.

At some of the lesser-known sites, we were lucky enough to have the place almost entirely to ourselves—pure bliss.

Wishing you a trip as extraordinary as mine was! 🙂

I went to the Yucatán 4 years ago and didn’t get that impression. In fact, they were really careful about the sea: we had to wear buoys to avoid damaging the coral, and use eco-friendly sunscreen to keep the sea clean. I think it’s a shame to judge these countries when we probably pollute just as much, if not more, than they do. In my neighborhood in Belgium, all the wastewater ends up in the river, and the Belgian government would rather pay a fine than do anything about it... The sides of the roads are basically dumping grounds, and that shocks me way more than these countries that have far fewer resources than we do.

I still haven’t been to the Yucatán, but after all the research following this post, I’ve come to the same conclusion as you. Two years ago, my son caught an ear infection in a branch of the Drôme river (where we’re from) because of pollution. He spent over a month on antibiotics because the bacteria was so resistant. So sometimes, we’ve got to look closer to home too...

Thanks Namorada! No doubt I’ll come back with some feedback on these visits :) In May at Uxmal, if we’d seen 30 people, tops 50 :), that was the max :) We spent a fantastic morning there and really enjoyed the site’s tranquility, which makes me think that maybe, hundreds of years ago, a Mayan king also chose it for its peace and quiet and built his city there. Or maybe not :) On the other hand, I try as much as possible to avoid the Spring Break period when visiting certain sites. It’ll be over by the time we go, so no worries.

Though I bet it’d be worth its weight in gold to watch those arrogant, conquering, drunk, and rowdy North Americans during that time. No, actually, I’m joking :) :)

I do understand, though, why Europeans—and especially the French—are much better regarded there than North Americans and their ilk. A lot less arrogance and entitlement toward the locals, no matter where they live.

See you soon! Jp

Photo to give you an idea of the crowd during our 2016 visit—though many later gathered around the Castillo by the sea.

Thanks Namorada No doubt I’ll come back to share my thoughts on these visits:

Photo to give you an idea of the crowds during our visit in 2016, knowing that many then gathered around the Castillo by the sea.

Oh yeah, come back and show us all that ;)

And thanks for the photo—now I can see there were even more people when we went!

In any case, I’ll be more careful about my destination next time. This time, unfortunately, I can’t cancel, but my vacation is already ruined. Not drinking tap water and not eating uncooked food—I was prepared for that. But keeping my mouth shut in the shower, not tasting the turquoise water while swimming because the hotel across the street dumps its wastewater there, not swimming in the cenotes because they’ve become sewage outflows, and even having second thoughts about the pool water because chemicals aren’t killed by chlorine—I wasn’t prepared for any of that. My girlfriend is already grossed out at the idea of dipping a toe in that broth.

Unfortunately, this is often how it goes! Where there’s tourism, there’s filth—it’s exactly the same in Asia, Brazil, Argentina, etc. That said, you shouldn’t spiral into paranoia about getting sick or ruining your vacation! Many destinations are polluted

Are the Swiss really that perfect? http://www.lefigaro.fr/conjoncture/2018/03/28/20002-20180328ARTFIG00285-pourquoi-de-plus-en-plus-de-suisses-viennent-jeter-leurs-poubelles-en-france.php

Hello, The laws are cantonal, but you don’t see a big difference from one canton to another, except with the adoption of the trash bag tax, where each canton applied it at the time it deemed most appropriate.

Well, trip canceled. 1,700 € per person down the drain. The pollution, violence, and mafia-like vibe that’s starting to creep into the area turned my partner and me off. Travel blogs don’t mention what a little research reveals. Lesson learned, I guess. But I’m relieved, even if it cost me a pretty penny. I doubt many people write to hotels like I did to put a little pressure on them about respecting the environment. Too bad—it might make those real estate vultures think twice.

It’s silly to lose 1700 €—you must not travel much, since pretty much every country has these kinds of issues. Even in Europe, it exists.

Good evening Lionel,

It’s always a shame to lose money, of course... but if it was going to stress you out and leave you feeling disgusted throughout the whole trip, I think you made the right call. You probably wouldn’t have been able to enjoy even the beautiful parts. In a way, you bought yourself some peace of mind.

You’re probably right about the hotels, pollution, violence, etc.—not many people think about all that before they go, and it’s a shame, really. But then again, we should start by cleaning up our own backyard. Things aren’t perfect here either; our countries aren’t exactly champions of ecology, cleanliness, or non-violence. You’ll have a hard time finding a destination that meets *all* your criteria, but I truly hope you do, and I’d love it if you came back to tell us about it. 🙂

I think it was the best thing to do, I actually told you so. I really hope you manage to find a destination that satisfies your desires and matches your criteria. Best, JP

Forking out 3,400 € for pollution fines and other issues—if you’ve got money to burn, go ahead and throw it away. There’s more to Mexico than just beaches and cenotes.

Well, trip canceled. 1,700 € per person down the drain. The pollution, the violence, and the mafia-like vibe starting to creep into the area turned my partner and me off. Travel blogs don’t tell you what a little research reveals. It’ll be a lesson learned. But I’m relieved, even if it cost me a pretty penny. I doubt many people write to hotels like I did to put some pressure on them about respecting the environment. Too bad. It might make those real estate vultures think twice.

It’s too bad to lose that kind of money... you might’ve been surprised once you got there! The mafia-like vibe exists in a lot of countries—take Sicily, for example. It’s super dirty, yet Italy isn’t a developing country or anything. Still, I’m sure there are eco-tourism trips with hotels that respect the environment and all that.

It’s Lionel’s choice, not mine, but it’s the advice I’d still given him because he would’ve left with so many preconceptions—justified or not isn’t the point—that he would’ve had a terrible trip anyway. I’m going back in April, May, June—I bought a house there. Personally, I love Mexico. And no, I won’t be sending you any money. 🙂🙂🙂 ++ JP

The message was more aimed at Lionel